The Nigerian army announced yesterday that it has determined the location of the 200 girls abducted by extremist group Boko Haram more than one month ago, noting that they are still in the country. They have ruled out the use of force to rescue them and turned down a deal to exchange prisoners who are members of Boko Haram for the girls’ release, so it is unclear what their next step will be.
“The good news for the parents of the girls is that we know where they are, but we cannot tell you,” said Chief of Defense Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh. “But where they are held, can we go there with force? We can’t kill our girls in the name of trying to get them back.”
After the government faced an outcry from Nigerians and people around the world for acting too slowly to find them, several international forces got involved. The US has provided air surveillance, and President Obama sent military personnel to Chad last week to help find the girls.
Since the kidnapping in April, Boko Haram has killed hundreds of civilians. The United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions against the group last week, adding Boko Haram to a list of organizations associated with al-Qaeda.
Media Resources: Al Jazeera 5/26/14; AFP 5/26/14; Feminist Newswire 5/2/14, 5/5/14, 5/22/14
